35 Facts About Rushern Baker

Rushern Leslie Baker III was born on October 24,1958 and is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 7th county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland from 2010 to 2018.

Rushern Baker previously served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1994 to 2003, representing District 22B in northern Prince George's County.

Rushern Baker was born in Valdosta, Georgia, on October 24,1958.

Rushern Baker moved frequently during his childhood, including stints in Okinawa, Japan, before eventually settling in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Rushern Baker attended five elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools before graduating from Classical High School, where he played for the high school football team as a running back and defensive back.

Rushern Baker served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2000,2004,2008,2012,2016, and 2024.

Rushern Baker served as a member of the Judiciary Committee from 1995 to 1998, afterwards serving on the Appropriations Committee from 1999 to 2003.

Rushern Baker was a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and was the chair of the Prince George's County Delegation from 1999 to 2003.

In early 2000, Rushern Baker announced that he would run for Prince George's County Executive in 2002, seeking to succeed term-limited county executive Wayne Curry.

Rushern Baker targeted women voters and enjoyed a boost in momentum after The Washington Post endorsed his campaign during the Democratic primary, but continued to trail county state's attorney Jack B Johnson in polling up to election day.

Rushern Baker was defeated in the Democratic primary by Johnson on September 10,2002, placing second-to-last with 12.5 percent of the vote.

In June 2005, Baker announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to run for Prince George's County Executive in 2006, challenging incumbent county executive Jack B Johnson.

Rushern Baker declared his candidacy in January 2006, and ran a campaign criticizing Johnson's handling of crime and education in Prince George's County.

Rushern Baker was narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary in September 2006, receiving 47.5 percent of the vote to Johnson's 52.5 percent.

Rushern Baker won the Democratic primary in September 2010, defeating Prince George's County Sheriff Michael A Jackson, who was backed by Johnson, and state delegate Gerron Levi with 43.9 percent of the vote.

Rushern Baker filed to run for re-election as county executive in February 2014.

Rushern Baker ran unopposed in both the primary and general elections.

Rushern Baker was sworn in as Prince George's County Executive on December 6,2010.

Rushern Baker unsuccessfully sought to raise property taxes in Prince George's County to pay for education reforms and supported a failed referendum that would have increased the number of terms that county-elected officials could serve from two to three.

Rushern Baker received criticism for his handling of education issues in Prince George's County.

Rushern Baker initially declined to say how he would vote on Maryland Question 6, a ballot referendum to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland, but finally endorsed the referendum in October 2012.

On June 21,2017, Rushern Baker announced that he would run for governor of Maryland in 2018, challenging incumbent Republican Governor Larry Hogan.

In February 2018, Rushern Baker chose former 2016 Baltimore mayoral candidate Elizabeth Embry as his running mate.

Rushern Baker received endorsements from US Senator Chris Van Hollen, US Representative Steny Hoyer, Attorney General Brian Frosh, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, and former governors Parris Glendening and Martin O'Malley.

Rushern Baker received financial support from businessman David Trone, who was running for Congress in Maryland's 6th congressional district.

Rushern Baker was defeated by former NAACP president Ben Jealous in the Democratic primary election on June 26,2018, placing second with 29.3 percent of the vote.

Rushern Baker's running mate was Nancy Navarro, a member of the Montgomery County Council from 2009 to 2022.

Rushern Baker criticized the leaked draft majority opinion for the US Supreme Court case Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization.

Since leaving office, Rushern Baker has run his own consulting firm, Rushern Baker Strategy Group.

In December 2024, after county executive Angela Alsobrooks resigned as county executive following her win in the 2024 United States Senate election in Maryland, Rushern Baker expressed interest in running in the 2025 Prince George's County executive special election.

Rushern Baker officially entered the race on December 10,2024.

Rushern Baker met his wife, Christa Beverly, as an undergraduate at Howard University in 1978.

Rushern Baker is a member of Gamma Pi chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

In 2016, Rushern Baker got a tattoo of her initials and the logo for the Alzheimer's Association on his arm.

In March 2024, Rushern Baker received the Thomas Kennedy Award from the Maryland House of Delegates.